PABLO FANQUE
Pablo Fanque (born William Darby; 30 March 1810 in Norwich, England; died 4 May 1871 in Stockport, England) was an English equestrian performer and circus proprietor, the first non-white British circus owner in Britain. His circus was the most popular in Victorian Britain for 30 years, a period that is regarded as the golden age of the circus. Since the late 20th century, Pablo Fanque has been best known from being mentioned in The Beatles song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” on their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). (More from Wikipedia)
Several of the people mentioned in the Sgt. Pepper song “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” were prominent in the circus world at that time. The poster is headlined “Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royale”; Fanque owned a circus back in Victorian times. John Henderson performed with his wife Agnes Henderson throughout Europe and Russia in the 1840’s and 1850’s. Mr. Kite is believed to be William Kite; he worked for Pablo Fanque from 1843 to 1845. “Somerset” is an early term for what we call a somersault, and that word made it into the song’s lyrics.
(June 2015)
